Uncertainty looms in Wolastoqey community as N.B. tax-sharing agreement set to end
CBC
Tax-sharing agreements between Wolastoqey communities and the New Brunswick government end at the end of the month, and residents of Kingsclear First Nation aren't sure what that will mean for their community.
Jonathan Solomon, the community's event co-ordinator who handles youth sports, said the tax-sharing revenue was used to pay the registration fees for 75 athletes last year.
That allowed for children from the community also known as Bilijk, 13 kilometres west of Fredericton, to take part in dance, softball, hockey, soccer and baseball. He said those fees ranged from $300-$500. If that money doesn't stay in place to support youth, he said, it will have a huge impact.
"It's going to hurt our community," said Solomon. "It's going to hurt our children and it's going to hurt our children's future."
He adds that it would be a challenge to find other sources for funding.
Tony Atwin, 69, who retired after a 32-year career with the RCMP, said a top-up offered to seniors in the community which is funded by community's tax-sharing agreement helps make ends meet on a limited retiree's budget.
"I'm benefiting from their support and it makes it easier for me and my family," said Atwin.
He said the senior supplement isn't something someone can live on but can help pay for gas to grocery stores in Fredericton. Atwin said he might not be impacted by the cuts but he worries about other seniors in the community.
In 1994, New Brunswick and First Nations in the province made tax-sharing agreements where stores on reserve would collect provincial taxes and the federal government would transfer the money back to the province.
The province would then remit 95 per cent of that on-reserve revenue back to a First Nation, up to $8 million, and 70 per cent beyond that.
In 2021, Premier Blaine Higgs informed First Nations the province would not continue the current tax-sharing agreement. The province has proposed five-year funding deals for housing, health, social assistance and education.
Keyaira Gruben, a band councillor with Bilijk, said the tax-sharing agreements helped pay for a new housing subdivision in the community, which was built in the last five years.
"The money that we make we deserve to spend it on our people," said Gruben.
Gruben said they've already trimmed their budget in preparation for possible changes, and worries they may not be able to help those most in need.
In just a few short months, Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen will make history.
Chiefs from Treaty 8 First Nations of Alberta are calling for a pause on the pipeline memorandum of understanding until they are consulted and sign off on the potential project. And they're threatening legal action if that doesn't happen.
When dolphins swam onto the scene during a study on northern resident orcas off the coast of B.C., at least one researcher admitted to being a little annoyed.
Researchers say there's been a dramatic rise in the number of people going on medications to treat attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder in Ontario, suggesting factors such as more time spent online and the rise of private assessments for the mental condition could be behind the increase.
Baby, it’s cold outside — but it’s worth putting on that heavy winter coat, scarf and boots and heading out for one of the best meteor showers of the year: the Geminids.
Health officials are reminding Canadians to maintain healthy habits during the holiday season, as influenza leads to more school absences and hospitalizations.
For 40 years, staff at Nova Scotia's Annapolis Royal Historic Gardens thought their ginkgo tree was male.
Health Canada has authorized a new drug to treat postpartum depression.
A website selling moccasins with what looks like Haudenosaunee-style beadwork but with no attribution to an artist or community has sparked conversation online about how to identify authentic Indigenous crafts.
More Canadians have a family doctor or nurse practitioner compared with three years ago, but satisfaction remains low, a comprehensive new survey suggests.
This could be an unusually good year to spot snowy owls in southern Canada.
Over five dozen items belonging to First Nations, Inuit, and Métis are one step closer to returning home.
After Canada announced Tuesday it wouldn’t list the American eel under the Species at Risk Act (SARA) some First Nations people with cultural and spiritual ties to the species are questioning the decision.